Spring of Change
by Raya
Summary: Three years later, Winnie makes the decision that will change her life forever...and ever...and ever... This is not just an alternate ending fic, but describes a new begining.
1. Default Chapter

**TUCK EVERLASTING**

**Spring of Choice**

            *I claim no ownership of the characters of "Tuck Everlasting." I'm just writing this to make myself feel better because I didn't really like the melancholy ending to the movie. I'm a bit of a romantic and I like happy endings. I admit, the end was probably the right thing for Winnie to do, but I don't care. I want them to be together dammit!! According to what I've gathered from the other fics here I would classify this story a "what if Winnie drank the water" fic. Hee hee… I read the book when I was in middle school and I don't remember much other than the fact I enjoyed reading it. This story describes characters as they were played in the movie, I hope I have details right!  I'll read the book again soon…but for now, I hope that you enjoy this alternate ending. It will probably consist of 7 or 8 chapters. Please R&R, It's always helpful to hear what people have to think. I'm not really a writer, and I am only when I get REALLY inspired. (I've had this story running through my head for two days now; I think I'll go crazy if I don't write it down!) Enjoy!

Chapter 1- Bubbles of Memory 

"Winifred!" Mrs. Foster's shrill voice rang through the house like an overblown flute. " Winifred! Are you ready? He will be here any minute!"

            Winnie gave one final glance at the mirror. Her and her mother had spent all afternoon fussing over hair and dress and jewelry in preparation for their dinner guest that was coming that night.  But Winnie failed to match her mother's enthusiasm.  The 17-year-old girl that glanced back at her from the mirror looked very different from what she was used too. Her eyes and lips were tinged with a tiny bit of makeup, she rubbed the back of her hand at the rouge coloring on her too-pale cheeks to try and lessen the china-doll effect her mother had managed to inflict upon her. And her luxurious long dark hair was pulled back from her face and twisted on top of her head.

"I started wearing my hair up when I came to be your age." Her mother had said with pride in her eyes.  "You look very much like a respectable young lady now."

Winnie pursed her lips and with a rebellious tug, she pulled out the long ivory hairpin. The thick curls fell down over her shoulders.

            "_Much better_." She told herself with a smirk.  She knew her mother would be cross. But she didn't really feel like pleasing her at this particular moment, especially because the man who was coming for dinner was the top of her mothers list for potential suitors.  "_I will NOT marry! Not HIM at least…"_

            "Winifred!"

            "Coming!" Winnie stood up and just as she turned to leave a gust of wind blew her window open with a bang. She jumped around, chilled instantly by the cold wind.  Spring was coming, but the winter night was still put a chill in her bones.  And when summer arrived, she would be 18. 

"_If he doesn't come by then… he never will…"_

She shook her head, not wanting to think about the consequences of her eighteenth birthday, then hastily shut the window and left her room.  

Whenever she thought of Jesse Tuck, a lump would rise in her throat and butterflies began doing acrobatics in her stomach. It was an all-to-familiar feeling and she didn't like it.

"_No use crying over what you yourself threw away …_" she thought to herself crossly. "_Don't think about it!_"

Her thoughts shifted instead to her mother's dinner guest. She paused before continuing down the stairs and meeting her parents in the Foyer.

            "_Act just like a friend, and nothing more! And then this  new suitor will completely abandon the idea of marriage_." She'd told herself this for the hundredth time that day. Sadly, it was the best plan she could come up with.  She'd long since abandoned her attempts to get her mother to leave her alone on the matter of marriage. No one would force her into anything, that was already decided, however Winnie was still constantly bantered with dinner parties, gatherings, outings, and any other excuse her mother could think of to get her to meet the rich, young and powerful men of the steadily growing town of Tree Gap in hopes that she might fancy one and hook him into marriage. 

             "Ah! Winifred, there you are." Her mother had a lace handkerchief in her hands and was twisting it back and forth in agitation.  Her eyes fell on Winnie and narrowed.  "You took down your hair! Go back and put it up again."

            " Now Martha…" Mr. Foster stood off to the side;  "She looks lovely with her hair down. She reminds me of you when we first met."

            Mrs. Foster shot him a glance. "I was twelve at the time, or had you forgotten that, Robert?"

            Mr. Foster took a deep breath, as if stalling to think of something to reply, but luckily was saved by the doorbell. 

            "He's here!" Her mother bustled to stand beside Winnie and began fussing with her hair. "No time for it now… Goodness Winifred, stand up straight! And stop twiddling your fingers like that…be polite!"

            "Yes mother…" Winnie said through clenched teeth, doing as she was told.

            With the household in position, Mr. Foster opened the door and Winnie saw Mr. Jackson for the first time.

 ****

            He wasn't bad looking, but not nearly as beautiful as Jesse Tuck. This had been her first impression. She now sat across from him at the dinner table, and found herself comparing him to the only man she'd ever loved, and sadly lost… 

"_Don't think about Jesse…"_ she'd said those words in her mind countless times in the last three years but it was always easier to say than do.  This time she really wished she could just forget about him. No matter what she ate it ended up tasting like wood. Her mother was making polite conversation with their new guest.

            "Please tell us, Mr. Jackson. Where did you live before you came to Tree Gap?"

            "Oh! New York, Madam. Frightfully busy and loud." Jackson said with enthusiasm.

            He talked and talked and talked, but not loudly and with the utmost courtesy. Winnie noticed right away that he was definitely the social type, which is probably why her mother liked him.  And the more she watched him, the more she realized how different he was from Jesse. Jesse was soft spoken and kind hearted, he was strong, yet fragile, and had a way of looking at you like he understood who you were right at a glance.  This man sitting across from her was stuffy and polite, and when he looked at her she got the impression that she wasn't even there.

            "_He's a male version of my mother…"_ she thought to herself.

            "Winifred?" Her mother said soothingly. Winnie's train of thought stopped abruptly, she turned her head quickly to regard her mother.  Mrs. Foster gave Winnie a "Don't ruin this for yourself," look of warning. 

            "Yes, mother?"

            " Will you answer Mr. Jackson's question, please?"

            " Oh!" Winnie glanced at him nervously; she had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't even heard what he'd asked. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson but would you repeat the question?"

            He exchanged looks with Winnie's mother, who in turn glanced at her father. It was apparent that Mr. Foster was determined to stay out of the whole conversation, and looked quite intent on carving the rest of the roast beef.

            "Your mother was just telling me what a charming piano you played. Would you do me the honor of performing a small piece after our supper?"

            "H_e is way too eloquent for his own good_." She thought to herself.  A sudden sadness washed over her.  

 " Perhaps…" She said softly, she tried to force her mouth to smile, but it wouldn't work.  Seeing him had made her think of Jesse Tuck.  Comparing them brought back such memories that she had worked hard to forget.  But now they came back unwilling. Telling herself to forget would not work anymore.  Visions bubbled up inside of her, memories of those few precious days when she'd stayed with the Tuck family. She thought of Ma and Pa Tuck, so kind and thoughtful towards her.  She remembered Miles and his painful past.  And most of all Jesse… Jesse laughing and dancing and running and talking of faraway places she longed to see. She could see his dark, beautiful face, his soft hair falling in waves framing his sparkling eyes as blue as the sky. She remembered his dimpled smile and the way he'd held her closely to him, so strong...  She could see him looking at her by the light of their tiny campfire, when she'd given him her first kiss. 

"I love you Winnie Foster." His voice was in her head. "I'll love you until the day I die."  Tears sprang to her eyes unwilling, threatening to brim and overflow.

            "Winifred? Are you all right?" It was her mother who brought her back to reality again. Only this time Winnie couldn't control herself, she stood up abruptly and gave a shallow curtsy. 

            "Please… excuse me! I…I don't feel so well…" And she turned and fled towards the stairs to the sanctuary of her bedroom. She closed the door and collapsed on her bed before the first tear had time to slide down her cheek.

***

            It wasn't long before she could hear her parents saying their goodbyes to their guest and her mother's hasty apologies for her daughter's "unusual behavior." Any minute now they would come upstairs. She knew what they would say, her father would try to calm her and use reason to understand what was wrong. Her mother would complain about ungratefulness. It was all old news to her. Winnie curled up into a ball as the first knock came at the door.

            "Come in." She said, trying hard to make her voice steady.

            "Winnie…" It was her father. Slowly, she sat up and rubbed her eyes as he came into the room and sat next to her on the bed. "What's wrong darling? Can you tell me?"

            " Nothing. I'm fine. I was just a little sick." She lied.

            " Your mother is very worried…" He was hesitant as he spoke, as if treading on thin glass. Winnie looked away.

" I don't want to get married… yet…"

" I know that darling, no one is forcing you to do anything. Your mother just wants you to meet with these people, get to know some of them. We don't expect you to marry anyone."

"Then why does she always mention it?" Winnie's voice took on a slightly panicked tone. "Every time we have someone for dinner she says it! 'Winifred, a woman your age should be engaged by now!' I'm sick of it! It's not what I want!"

"Shhh…" Her father put an arm around her. Winnie was no longer able to hold back and she gave way to more tears.  " My darling Winnie… I'm sorry.  I'll talk to her, I promise. But your mother is stubborn and set in her ways. Believe me when I say that she only wants what is best for you." 

" You only want what you think is best for me." She pulled away from him and looked him in the eye, choking down another sob. She had to stop this childish crying. She rubbed her eyes with her sleeves vigorously. Her father handed her a handkerchief and she blew her nose. 

"We only want to make you happy." He finally said, after she'd managed to calm herself.

            Winnie pursed her lips, and finally said, " Then let me make myself happy. Let me live my own life, not the one that you both want me to live." 

She didn't say, _"Let me be with Jesse Tuck."_ But it was on her tongue. Talking about the Tuck Family was not allowed in her parents home.

            Her father looked puzzled, nodded slowly and rose from the bed. "You just need more time… Perhaps we pushed you too fast…yes… maybe we did…"

            She sighed and looked away. There was no way to make either of them understand. But she respected the fact that her father made the attempt.

            Her father gave her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder and left the room.  Winnie waited for his footsteps to disappear down the stairs.  Maybe this time her mother would stop insisting she attend these ridiculous dinner parties… but the chances of that were slim to none.  The thought of marriage to someone other than Jesse made her feel nauseas.  This man who had come tonight had done nothing to her and yet she disliked him for no reason.  She felt guilty, he was polite, and she was sure he would be kind to her if she only gave him the chance.  He probably would make a very secure husband, which was exactly the sort of thing a woman needed, according to her mother. Winnie saw the sense in that.  However, she knew that it was not the life she wanted to lead.  She did not want to live like a caged bird all her life, she'd done that enough. Marriage to Mr. Jackson would do nothing but move her from one prison to another. Jesse Tuck had shown her what life outside her iron fence was like and she yearned for it again.   Even if it meant living forever, she realized that she wanted to do it.  And like a bolt of lightning, it hit her. After three years of struggling with the decision that literally meant life or death, she realized that her heart had already chosen Jesse. Drinking the water was no longer important, only him. She had to be with him.  Her eyes crinkled up, spilling tears. Emotions so long hidden surfaced and overflowed. 

"_I love you Jesse…_" She whispered.  "_If you come for me… I'll go with you. I will_!"  Turning over with her arms clasped tightly to her chest, Winnie glanced at the window. "_But God knows where you could be right now…_"


	2. Uncertainties

**TUCK EVERLASTING**

**Spring of Choice**

            *The same disclaimers apply- Thank you to everyone who reviewed my story! Here's the next two chapters. I hope you enjoy them!

Chapter 2- Uncertainty 

" I can't believe you'd risk your neck for that girl again." Miles Tuck muttered it under his breath for what seemed the millionth time. 

"Her name's Winnie! Not just 'that girl' and you know it!" Jesse's voice was deep and persistent.

"You can't trust women Jesse… they'll break your heart! I don't want to see you go through the same trauma I did."

The two young men stopped at the edge of the forest, Winnie's whitewashed home could be seen just through the dense branches. The full moon illuminated the forest in a rich blue glow.  Miles reined their horse, looking around suspiciously. Jesse jumped from it's back. He had a length of rope coiled around one shoulder.

" I understand your concern… but I have to know Miles!" Jesse was not going to be easily swayed.  "I told her I would return for her. I have to know if she'll be with me forever."

Miles threw his hands into the air with exasperation and let out a half-hearted laugh. "There really is no changing your mind! I can't even believe I agreed to join you on this foolish expedition.  Pa was right one year ago and he's still right. If you take Winnie Foster from her home, her family will never stop hunting us until they find her!"

"No they won't." Jesse grinned at him. "And it's been two years, not one!"

Miles shook his head " It could be ten for all we know! Who keeps track of time nowadays? Maybe she's married with children! Did you think of that?"

Jesse's face took on a sudden seriousness. " If she is… then I've gotten my answer."

"I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it."

" You're right though, Miles. There is that possibility. I'll be okay. I just have to know. I can't go on day to day without knowing.  I'll meet you tomorrow at the old cabin site, like we agreed."

Miles muttered something under his breath that sounded like "good luck," Then wheeled the horse around and took off in the opposite direction of the house.  Leaving Jesse alone to face the uncertainties that awaited him.

***

            As he approached the house, he could see the light on in Winnies bedroom.

"Hark, what light in yonder window breaks…" He whispered, ready to jump over the fence. "It is the east and Winifred is th---" He stopped dead at the sound of voices. There were people talking around the corner of the house.  Quickly, Jesse dashed back into the cover of the forest, and watched from the shadow of a tree. A man stood in the doorway shaking hands with Winnie's father. He seemed to be leaving. He could hear Mrs. Foster's voice carry faintly on the breeze.

            " Please excuse my daughter Mr. Jackson! It is most unusual for her to cause such a scene!"

            " Think nothing of it Mrs. Foster. I apologize if I've upset Winifred in some way. She did not seem particularly amiable towards me."

" I'm sure it was only her illness you mistook for ill feelings." Mrs. Foster laughed nervously.

Mr. Jackson nodded with a murmur of sympathetic understanding. "I shall call again in the morning to see how Winifred is doing. Goodnight and thank you again for the marvelous dinner."

Jesse stayed hidden well after the stranger had left. "Winnie is sick?" He thought nervously.  "Or is it just a false act?"  Jesse hadn't gotten so much as a minor cold in 94 years.  If she was sick, it meant she hadn't drunk the water yet.  Maybe she was waiting for him to come and get her first?  His determination wavered slightly. Maybe she'd forgotten about him, and decided to continue living her life like a normal person? The light in Winnie's room had extinguished.  Jesse bit his lip, determined. He wouldn't give up. He had to know! Straight from Winnie's mouth whether she would go with him or not.  

The parlor lights stayed on well into the night. It was probably Mr. Foster.  Jesse shivered at the cold wind but did not make his move yet. He was determined to wait until the entire house was dark. He'd almost blown his cover already. He would not do the same again.

At last the entire house was dark. He watched the moon as it reached its peak in the sky. He guessed it was probably about midnight.

" Brace yourself, Winnie Foster. I'm coming for ya!"

***

            Winnie tossed and turned in restless sleep. In her dream she was cold, and alone. Searching through the forest for the spring. Somehow, she knew that if she could find it, she would find Jesse again. Leafy branches clung to her hair and dress, holding her back. But she fought on and eventually found the spring, only to find it dried up.

            Winnie opened her eyes with a gasp. And then relaxed, realizing it was only just a dream. She sat up in her bed. It was still the middle of the night. The entire house was silent. 

            "_No… it was only a dream. I can't be true… it was still there 90 years after the Tuck family found it. I couldn't have dried in only three_." She soothed herself with these thoughts. Then noticed a breeze floating through her room. Looking up, startled, she saw her window had flown open again.

            She jumped out of bed and hastily ran to the window, closing it and bolting it in place. "There, you can't pop open again on me now!" she thought smugly. Just as she yawned and started to turn towards her bed, a pair of hands came around her, one clamped over her mouth, the other wrapped both her arms to her sides. Winnie screamed, but it came out muffled. She tried to squirm loose, but the voice that whispered urgently in her ear made her freeze stalk still.

            " It's me Winnie! It's Jesse.  Shh- don't be scared!" He loosened his grip on her and she spun around alarmed. 

            "Jesse!" She said it in a rasping whisper.  " What the hell are you trying to do? How dare you grab me like that! I thought you were a murderer!"

            Jesse looked abashed and whispered back,  "I'm sorry Winnie. I sorta panicked. I thought that if you turned around and found me just in your room like this, you'd start hollering without realizing who I was."

            Winnie could see the concern on his face. And her anger melted away.  She put out her hand and drew him into the light of her window.  Jesse looked down at her, his pale eyes seemed to glow and the soft blue light of the moon reflected off his skin.  He was even more beautiful than she remembered. He hadn't changed a bit.

            "You…are the same." She said, disbelieving. "Exactly how I remembered you. Down to the last hair on your head."

            "Well… what did you expect? That I'd look my age?" Jesse grinned at her, but then his face dropped. He could see her eyes glistening with tears. "Why are you crying?"

            " Because you're here." She rested her hand on his cheek. " You're here… and on the day I decided…the day I needed you to come the most!"

            He took her hand from his cheek, and clasping both her hands in his, he kissed her palms.  " I told you I'd come for you. I still love you as much as I always did, Winnie."

            Winnie collapsed into his arms.  He held her shaking frame tightly. She had aged a few more years since he'd seen her last, but she looked only more beautiful to him.  His young Winnie was a woman now.

            " I was scared that you wouldn't come." She said softly.

            " I was scared you'd forgotten all about me." He tightened his grip on her waist. 

            "Never." She smiled, her hands resting at the nape of his neck in a loose embrace" Why did you take so long?"

            "So long?" Jesse looked at her confused.  "You just turned seventeen, didn't you?"

            "Last year. I'll be eighteen in May."

            Jesse looked flabbergasted. " I thought it had only been two years."

            Winnie giggled at his look of shock. " Three… I guess you counted wrong."

            Jesse chuckled.  " Well, you know me… time doesn't really exist."

            "Yes… I know."

            "Jesse… I must tell you something." Her voice shook, and her hands slid down to fist the fabric on the back of his cloak.

            Jesse tensed, "Yes?"

            "I… haven't drunk the water yet." She gave him an uneasy smile.

            He looked down at her with concern, and smiled faintly.  " Somehow, I knew you hadn't…" He brought his hands up to cup her cheeks, wiping the tears from her eyes with his thumbs.  "You haven't decided yet?" 

            She shook her head. "No! It's not that… I just—"

            But he cut her off with a finger to her lips.  " You don't have to say anything right now. We'll talk about the important stuff later."

            She gave him an inquisitive look, but didn't try to further her explanation.

            "For right now, let's have some fun!" With a grin, he stepped back from her, held out his hand and bowed in a gentlemanly manner, "Would my lady do me the honor of going on a midnight stroll?"

            She glanced at his hand, and then snapped her eyes back up to his.  "A stroll? Now?!"

            Jesse laughed and jumped to crouch on the edge of the windowsill, he unlatched it and it swung open, the cold air enveloped her instantly. He seemed completely unaffected by it, but he was wearing his deep blue woolen cloak. "Of course! The night is still young! We can be out and back before your parents even know you were gone!"

            "But…" Winnie hugged herself tightly. "It's freezing outside!"

            "Then you'd better bring a coat now, shouldn't you?"

            She arched an eyebrow at him, and then a mischievous smile spread across her face. "Just like old times?"

            "Better!" 

            Winnie went to put on her winter coat over her nightdress and slip on her most comfortable pair of boots.  When she turned around again, she noticed him testing out the strength of the rope he'd tied to a peg at the base of her windowsill. Her heart skipped a beat. "I can't climb down that!"

            "Why not?" Jesse held onto the rope and walked himself down the side of the house with ease. "Just do what I do."

            Winnie cautiously moved towards the windowsill and watched him until he touched the ground, about twenty feet below.  Then muttering to herself, she swung one leg over the side, and then the other. "_Winnie Foster"_ she told herself, _"You have gone crazy_!" 

            The rope was terrifying.  She clutched it tightly with both hands and made it as far as getting her legs to dangle over the side of the windowsill. The top half of her body was still inside the window.

            " Use your legs as leverage against the side of the house and walk yourself down!" Jesse's voice was a loud whisper.

            "I'm going to fall!" Winnie whimpered. "I'm going to die!"

            " No you won't! I'll catch you if you fall."

            Those words were a little encouragement. "_Okay…I can do this! I can_!"  

"On three!" Jesse hovered directly underneath her with arms outstretched.  "One, Two, Three!" 

With a deep breath, Winnie swung the rest of her body out of the windowsill, planted her legs firmly perpendicular to the wall, and clutched the rope for dear life. Her eyes were tightly shut.  She took another gasping breath, and began slowly edging her way down.

She was about halfway to her goal when she realized Jesse was being really quiet.  She stole a glance down at him.  He stood directly underneath her looking up, with his eyes as wide as saucers and his mouth hanging open like a simpleton. Winnie realized at that moment that he was getting a direct and most advantageous view of her underwear.

            "Don't!" Without thinking, she hastily brought one hand behind to cup her skirt to her bottom, but the sudden shift in weight sent her spinning off the side of the house.  She bit her tongue to keep from screaming, her hand clutching the rope slipped and she fell ten feet into his outstretched arms.

            "Winnie! Are you okay?"

            Winnie opened one eye, and then the other, and shakily nodded her head. "Yesh…But I bit ma tongue…"

            Jesse's worried expression vanished and he chuckled at her funny speech. Winnie stifled a giggle herself. 

            "You're in big twouble bushter…" She poked him with one finger. " Don't shink you can act all innoshent either!"

            Jesse shrugged apologetically. " Hey… you can't really blame me can you?"  

            He set her on her feet, and hand in hand they ran past the yard, through the gate and into the forest. 


	3. The Question

**TUCK EVERLASTING**

**Spring of Choice**

            *The same disclaimers apply- Yay! The romance heats up!

Chapter 3- The Question 

            It was nearing dawn when Jesse hoisted her back up into her window by use of the rope.  Her cheeks were red with the warmth from their nightly expedition.  She'd done all the things she'd dreamed of doing again with him.  They'd kicked up dry leaves, ran through the woods, wrestled playfully, danced and sat in each other's arms on top of their personal 'Eiffel Tower' while Jesse told her stories of his adventures across the seas.  Now, they stood gazing into each other's eyes.  

Winnie knew that the time had come for him to leave, any moment now the maid would come in to wake her up and aid her in dressing for the day.

            By his look, she could tell Jesse was thinking the same thing.  He glanced towards the window. "I've gotta go, I told Miles I'd meet him in the morning, by our old cabin." 

Winnie nodded, but she still held his hand tightly.

He leaned in towards her, his lip trembled, "Can I kiss you?" 

            She blushed and nodded.

            He leaned in and kissed her. Softly at first, just barely brushing her lips. She returned it boldly, and soon he had her full in his arms, they're lips locked tight and he thought that if this were heaven, he wouldn't mind dying right then and there.

            He didn't know how long it had been, one minute or several, but they finally parted and stood, gazing into each other's eyes. 

            There was an uncomfortable silence.  Jesse finally spoke up.

            " I… came to ask you a question."

            "A question?"

            He took a deep breath, it was now or never…"Will you to come and live with me forever?"

            Winnie's heart leapt into her throat, she opened her mouth for a hasty affirmative, but Jesse shook his head, putting his hand up to stop her answer.

            "Don't jump to answering so quickly.  I would sweep you away with me to the spring this second if I could, believe me! But what you need to do is not so simple."

            Winnie frowned, listening as he continued.

            "If you drink from the spring, you must understand that you'll never grow old."

            "I know that."

            "You can't be mortally wounded in any way."

            "Yes, you showed me that yourself!" She thought of the time the man in the yellow suit had shot Jesse in the stomach, and shivered.

            "You must swear to keep the spring and it's secret from all normal people."

            " I swear I will."

            " You…" He took a deep breath, glancing at the door and then back at her, she could see there was a pained expression on his face. "You must never see your family again."

            Her eyes widened in shock. "Never?"

            Jesse looked at her sympathetically. "You won't age a day past seventeen. But they will grow old without you.  To preserve our secret, you mustn't see them again, once you leave with me."

            She stared at him; there was a long pause and the lump in her throat increased in size. "I…I don't know… what to say…" she glanced back towards the door, and then to her vanity that stood next to it. There was a framed picture sitting on it near the mirror of her and her parents. Of course it made sense. She'd always known that would be a consequence, but finally faced with the weight of the situation, it made the decision even harder to bear.

            " But, even if I did go with you, what is to stop the past from repeating itself?" Winnie said, thinking hard. "You know they will come looking for me.  Like what happened last time."

It was the reason she had not gone with him last time. For fear of the Tucks being hunted down like criminals and their secret would be out in the open the moment the death sentence was carried out. The fact that they could not die would spread like wildfire throughout the country.  If she left with him now, the past would only be repeated, but this time the Tucks may not be so lucky. " I want too come with you! But—" She tore her gaze from him, hugging herself tightly.  " How to deal with my parents… I don't know. I need some time to think."

            Jesse swallowed audibly, then reached over and touched her cheek, directing her face towards his again.  ""Winnie, listen to me.  If you choose me, I will promise to always take care of you! And make sure you always have enough to eat and nice things to wear.  We'll have adventures that you could only imagine! I swear it. If you'll marry me…" He trailed off at her look of uncertainty, then took a step back and ran a nervous hand through his hair.  "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those things just now. It wasn't right of me to."  
            Winnie shook her head vigorously. "No… you just spoke your heart. It's all right."

            He glanced behind him at the full moon, it was brushing the treetops in its decent from the sky, the light of the sun was already beginning to illuminate the forest. It gave him an idea.

            " Whatever you decide to do, you must decide it for yourself.  Do you see how the moon is full tonight?"

            She nodded.

            "In a month's time, when the moon is at its peak in the night sky, and full again just as tonight's moon was, then meet me at the spring if you decide you want to come and live with me forever. But, if you do decide this, you must make sure your parents accept your departure.  I… I can't be a part of it. If they know about me… they would be too suspicious." He looked away sadly. "I don't think I'd have a chance of earning their respect and marrying you formally… as much as I'd like to."

            Winnie shook her head. "If you don't have bags of money in the bank, then they would not even consider you a possibility."

            Jesse gave a short, half-hearted laugh. "I live out of my pockets, I don't even have a bank account." He shook his head. "But that's not important, what I was saying… oh yes… If you're not there, one month from now by the first ray's of daylight, then I will know your answer is no."

            Jesse stopped abruptly and tensed, the sound of footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs from the ground floor of the house. Winnie heard them too.

            "You must get out of here!" She said hastily. Jesse gave her one final kiss, and crouched halfway out of the window, hastily coiling the rope. "If you don't come Winnie Foster, then I'll know you're answer… and I…" He bit his lip nervously, eyebrows creased in worry. Then took a deep breath, not making eye contact. "I won't come bothering you again. But…" He looked at her in desperation. "But I really want you to come!"

            She barely had enough time to open her mouth to reply, when he jumped out of the window. She inhaled sharply and ran to the sill, leaning out of it half expecting to see him lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom. But he was not there. She looked around at the scenery alarmed.

            He was nowhere to be seen.

            There was a knock at the door. "Ms. Foster, it's time to wake up."

            Winnie hastily shut the window and dove for her bed, making it just in time. The door opened and the maid came inside carrying a tray steaming with tea and biscuits.

            "Did you sleep well Ms. Foster? Goodness! It's frightfully cold in here!"

            Winnie feigned grogginess, yawning and stretching and blinking her eyes. "Yes… I'm okay though, I put on my coat."


	4. Parental Distress

**TUCK EVERLASTING**

**Spring of Choice**

            *The same disclaimers apply- I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter for some reason. It's difficult to make Winnie angry enough at her parents that she would want to leave, but not crossing the line where you would think that her parents were necessarily bad people … especially because even though they are just about as protective and sheltering a family as you could ask for, it's very obvious how much they love and cherish her.  I tried my best to express this relationship. Please r+r, and tell me what you think.

Chapter 4-Parental Distress 

            The day directly following Winnie's adventures into the woods with Jesse was one of the most tiring she had ever experienced.  She was not accustomed to staying up all night long. And so found herself victim to the most acute case of daydreaming she'd ever experienced.  She could feel the excitement of freedom pumping adrenaline through her veins. And her mind worked all sorts of fantastical stories of Jesse the swashbuckling pirate out on the seven seas, with her at his side they would find buried treasure. Or they would discover new continents… new civilizations! 

"Atlantis maybe…"

Or maybe it was just that she had not gotten a single wink of sleep that night and 'wired' was the closest word Winnie could come to describing the experience of an even more overworked imagination than what was normal for her.

            "_I feel as though I've drunk entirely too much black tea…_" she mused.

But right now, at that moment she lay on her back in the front yard, her arm propped her head like a pillow, and gazed up at the blue sky. Fluffy white clouds drifted past and she lost herself imagining them into all sorts of creatures: dragons, butterflies, frogs, whales, crocodiles, and occasionally a cloud would pass by that had the shape of Jesse's nose, or the curve of his chin or his silhouette.

            "Jesse…" She murmured dreamily.  They would live together through eternity.  Eternity was not such a scary thought if you could share it with the one you loved. And she knew without a doubt, that Jesse Tuck was the only man whom she could ever imagine being truly happy with.  If she could run away from this place, with its iron fence…this spotless, rigid, orderly life would be behind her! 

            "Winifred! Come inside you'll get sunburned!" 

            "Three years and she still hasn't given up…" Winnie grudgingly complied but sat up too quickly, causing a wave of sudden dizziness. "Ugh… now I really think I may be sick…"

            She trudged inside. Her parents sat watching her in the parlor with identical expressions of the utmost concern on their faces.

            "Sit dear." Her mother said, gesturing to a chair across from her. Winnie sat, arranging her ruffled skirts and folded her hands neatly in her lap. 

            Her father leaned closer, peering into her face with a look that made Winnie feel like she must have a piece of food stuck to her cheek, or perhaps a nasty wart decided to suddenly sprout on top of her nose.  She resisted the urge to cross her eyes and see if she could see it.

            "Are you feeling better, Winnie?" Her father asked cautiously.

            Winnie nodded. "Much better."

            "You look very pale and tired today." Her mother said. "Did you sleep well?"

            " Not very much I'm afraid." It was the truth after all… Winnie had not slept at all!

            " Perhaps you should go and take a rest." Her mother said.  "And we can talk a little later about last night."

            "No, that won't be necessary." Winnie straightened up as best she could and willing herself to focus on the situation at hand, connected stern eyes with her mother. " Please, tell me what you wish to talk about."

            " Your father told me what you said…last night…" She began, "My darling Winifred, it does not please me in any measure to cause you pain. I am sorry for pressuring you, and as your father suggested, we will give you time."

            Winnie was amazed by this formal admonition of defeat on part of her mother. This had never happened before and she realized that her mother must really and truly be quite concerned. It was not exactly the kind of freedom that she asked for, but it was the closest thing her mother could come to understanding. It occurred to Winnie that her mother was probably concerned she would try and run away again if pushed too far, like last time. A feeling of guilt enveloped her.  Even with her mother opening herself up like this it would not make a difference. Winnie would still run away. 

            "Thank you, Mother. I…I am relieved at hearing it." She managed to smile. Her mother returned it. It was a rare treat for Winnie to see her mother smile and she felt an ache in her heart.

            "Well, that is really all I had to say.  For now I suggest you go upstairs and get some rest." Mrs. Foster's tone was not that of a suggestion, but Winnie did not argue and slowly stood and began to walk from the room. Her mind was working vigorously, fighting back and forth. Should she try and talk to them now about Jesse? How would she mention leaving without mentioning _him_? How could she even mention _leaving_ for that matter? What would they say? What would they _do_?  She decided, while both parents were feeling sentimental that it was now or never. She spun around as she reached the doorway to the foyer.

            "Mother? Father? What if I was to tell you, that I wanted to go on a trip to see the world?"

            Her parents looked momentarily stunned with the suggestion. Her father was the first to recover. "Why?"

            " Because… I want to see the world!" She said quickly.  "By myself!"  
            "By yourself?" It was her mother who echoed her statement with high voiced exasperation. "Winifred the world outside is a wild and dangerous place! It is no place for a young lady! I strongly suggest you put the though out of your mind immediately."

            " But… I want to do something for myself!" she had often thought on this topic and it was an easy rant for her to make.  "  I want to be someone important! Discover something no one else has!  Haven't you ever though about it, mother?"

            "No I have not!" Her mother was quite taken aback. "And as I said before, such endeavors are not for ladies of high society."

            "High Society?" Winnie echoed scornfully. " High Society?  In that case I wish I was poor and uneducated!"

            "Winnie!" Her mother stood up, her eyes sharp as thunderbolts.

            "At least then I would be free!" 

            "Winifred, you have no right to speak to your mother in such a way." Her father stood as well, his voice was low and had an undertone of danger. "We have given you everything, comfort and support and you are acting like an ungrateful child. Your mother and I think about nothing else than what is best for you. Stop this foolish talk at once!"

            Winnie's courage faltered and she took a step back, Her father rarely lost his temper, but when he did, it was a terrifying thing to see. Winnie understood what he was saying, in a way he was certainly correct, but her defiance burned away to fear at the look he gave her. It was pure stubbornness that kept her from breaking into tears right then and there. She clenched her teeth tightly to keep a sob from escaping. Her eyes filled with tears, but she would not blink for fear that one might escape and slide down her cheek, exposing her vulnerability. They would never understand her. How in the world could she get them to let her go?

            "I'm… sorry…" she managed a whisper, and without another word, Winnie turned and ran up to her bedroom.

***

            She thought, and thought, and thought. Every possible excuse she could come up with was not good enough though.  She did not bring the subject up again with her parents, and a day later, they acted as if she had never even mentioned it.  Days turned into weeks. And before Winnie could have realized it, the time had almost come.  There were only four more days left until she would leave to meet Jesse.   The weather began to warm up. She was seeing new life sprout out of the ground as winter fell away for spring, the tree's grew new leaves, bees danced among the wildflowers, and the chirping of baby birds newly hatched woke her up each morning. It was a time like this that she remembered Tuck's words out on the lake so long ago.

            "You can't have life without death…it's like a great wheel, constantly changing."

            How many springs would she see bloom in her lifetime? Winnie had never really thought about it before.  If she drank the water, she would see the world move along without her. Spring to summer to fall to winter, on and on forever and ever. Was it what she really wanted?

            She thought of Jesse, he had taken eternal life with a grain of salt, and was determined to enjoy it to his advantage. She smiled at the thought. He would have such amazing adventures, and someday see the future beyond what she could even imagine! And yet he was not complete, not without someone to share it with. She blushed at the thought.  Jesse made her feel like the most important person in the world. Yes, she wanted to share it with him.  

            "_I'll be with him and see the world_!" She was firm in her resolve.  "_Mother and father… they will have to understand someday.  I will write them a letter and leave it on the night I go."_

            She found new hope with this idea, and sat down immediately to compose a letter.  But now she was faced with a new problem, what on earth would she say?

            "_Dear mother and father, _

_I've gone to see the world, so do not try to look for me.  I will write you frequently to tell you how I am doing. I love you both._

_Winnie."_

            She read it over and instantly crumpled it up. "That is no good! Not enough emotion!" She took a clean piece of paper and tried again.

                "_Dearest mother and father,_

_                                Please find it in your heart to forgive me, for I have left to see the world. I will most likely not be returning, but I will write you frequently to tell you how I am doing.  I am not alone, I'm going with Jesse so do not worry over my safety. I assure you he is quite resourceful…"_

She stopped there, staring at the letter for a long time. "Maybe I shouldn't mention Jesse." Then crumpled it up and threw it into the corner in frustration after the first one. "Ugh! How do I do this?"

            "_Dearest Mother and Father,_

                Please find it in your heart to forgive me, for I have left to marry someone I have sworn not to name, and we will see the world together. Do not worry over my safety…"

            "This one sounds like a bad romance novel!" Crumpling it up, she threw it in the pile with the other two notes and then left her room in frustration.

            "Where are you going Winifred?" Her mother asked as Winnie had paused by the doorway to tie her hat onto her head.

            "For a walk in the woods." She said.

            Her mother pursed her lips in disapproval, but did not say anything. Winnie was glad for it. "Don't worry mother, I will return before lunchtime." And she left, shutting the door firmly behind her.

***

            The walk had calmed her mood and rejuvenated her spirits, and when she had finally returned home, humming Mae Tuck's music-box melody softly under her breath, she thought that she would go straight up to her room and try composing another letter to her parents.

            However when she stepped in the door, she was met with an unexpected surprise. Her mother sat on the loveseat, fanning herself in distress and her father was pacing the length of the parlor in agitation.

            As she shut the door behind her both parents looked up and her father sternly pointed to the we-have-to-have-a-serious-talk chair, as she had come to call it. Confused, Winnie hung up her hat and then went to sit and face them, wondering what on earth it could be this time. 

            Her father cut straight to the chase, he held up three crumpled notes in one clenched hand, shaking with suppressed fury.  "Winifred Foster, what on earth do you think you're doing by writing these? And who in the name of God is Jesse?!"


	5. Live to Regret

**TUCK EVERLASTING**

**Spring of Choice**

            *The same disclaimers apply- Here's another chapter! I hope you enjoy it.  I'm glad to finally get this conversation out of the way, I've been avoiding writing it the last couple of days. Things will pick up in the next chapter when Winnie finally leaves. But beware, because there'll be some twists! Hee hee—I never make anything simple. ^^;; I'm such a stinker! Chapter 5- Live to Regret 

            Winnie couldn't have been more off guard at this sudden question. Her mind was instantly sent into a whirlwind of thought.  Should she lie? What would she say? What would her parents do? Should she be mad that they searched her room? She was stunned with the suddenness of the question. Therefore was forced to give the best possible answer she could come up with at such short notice. And so, with absolutely no time to think of an adequate story, she simply told the truth.

            " Jesse Tuck," She said softly, her throat suddenly very dry. "He asked me to marry him, and I said yes."

            "Ohhh…" Her mother rose from her seat, fanning herself even harder and began pacing back and forth, her free hand clenched at her side.  Her father's mouth hung open in shock and he let the letters drop onto the coffee table.

            "Tuck?" He said softly. And then the word suddenly made sense and he said it again, this time with more force. "TUCK!" Winnie's eyes grew wide and she gave a small start at his exclamation. "The very family that abducted you?"

            "They didn't kidnap me!"

            "As we've heard entirely too many times!" Her mother said, panic was clear in her voice. "But it is no mistake that that woman KILLED the man in the yellow coat! They are murderer's Winifred! Cold blooded killers!"

            Winnie's eyes popped open at this admonition.  And all fear melted away in an instant, anger enveloped her. Anger to defend her friends, defend her love, and defend their way of life that she so envied.

            "How dare you say such nasty things about my friends!" Winnie rose out of her seat slowly, staring at her mother, shaking with fury. " You have no idea what that man would have done if Ma Tuck had not stopped him! He was a crazy man!"

            "I don't want to hear it!" It was Winnie's father that interrupted this time with a shout. Winnie shut her mouth tight but continued to stare unblinkingly at her mother.  There was a moment of silence in the house, and then he continued in a softer voice. "All that is in the past.  What I want to know is… why on earth would you choose such a man as that?"

            Winnie tore her gaze from her mother, and settled on her father, her eyes softened as she looked at him. She could tell he was genuinely confused and concerned.  "I love him, father…"

            "You don't know what you are saying." Her mother said coldly.

            "I do!" Winnie stamped her foot, making her mother jerk in surprise. "I have loved him ever since the moment I first saw him. And it has stayed that way, even when we were apart, I've always loved him!"

            "Winifred…don't mistake love for some youthful crush…" Her father shook his head.  " Someone like that is not what you need. You need security. A man like that leads a dangerous path in life! You do not want to get tangled up with the likes of those people."

            Winnie opened her mouth to protest, but shut it again as her father continued. "Don't think that I wasn't your age once, full of passion and youthful carelessness! But in time I came to realize that this is a real world we live in, and the real world is dangerous."

"I know that father! I was witness to it myself!" Winnie clenched her fists in the folds of her skirt.  " I understand what you're saying, but I'm not like that! It's not a crush! I—

"Your fantasies are not real!" He cut her off with a raised voice. Winnie took a step back in startlement.  " I know as well as you do that you're prone to daydreaming! But about something like this…you have to stop fantasizing about something that cannot be!  You were not born to lead that sort of life."

            He said it with great passion and she could tell he wanted greatly for her to understand. And she did, in a sense.

            "They are not fantasies." She said, determined. "And as I've told you before, the kind of life you want for me is not what I want.  I know you're concerned for my safety, but don't be! Jesse Tuck is an honest, wonderful, kind and caring person! If you could just believe me!!!"

" If he is so grand, then why does he not present himself to your mother and myself for approval!?" Her father broke in angrily. " It is the way things are done in this day and age! We have never even met the boy and you expect us to just let you go? By his own irresponsible actions, he confirms his own guilt! He is a scoundrel and I will not allow you to marry such a ruffian as that!"

Winnie wanted to drive her fist into the wall, but she restrained herself, and instead, with painful calmness said, "You married mother because you loved her, isn't that true?"

            "Well…Yes…"

            " So why can't I marry who I love?"

            " He is not an option…" It was Winnie's mother this time, she was holding onto the back of the loveseat, her knuckles were white with exertion as she squeezed, but the rest of her face was calm and dangerously composed.  " Winifred Foster, I will not allow you to ruin your life in the name of a childish romance."

            Winnie took a deep breath, doing her best to control her still growing frustration. " I'm sorry mother, but it's too late.  I'm going to leave." She gestured to the crumpled letters on the table. "To answer your question…" Her eyes shifted to her father, who's face had gone quite pale.  " I was writing you both a goodbye note."   Her voice quivered, emotion welled up inside of her, but she forced herself to continue.  "You can make this difficult, or simple… those are your options. I am leaving in four days, no matter what you say. I would like to leave on good terms with you, but if you continue to insist that I'm blind by 'childish fantasies,' then I will have no choice but to leave…just as we are…" her voice trailed off to a whisper. " It's difficult for me to say it… I love you both very much…" She knew tears were fast on their way, but she didn't care.  " I'm almost eighteen… and I want my own life.   Please… just accept that! I beg of you..."

Her mother only shook her head and let the fan drop to her side, her father stood, staring at her speechless. 

Winnie continued, nevertheless, letting tears fall over her cheeks.  "I love him, and I trust Jesse with all my heart.  He'll give me what I need so don't worry that I'll ever be cold or hungry.  We will go far away, to see the world when I join him…" She looked from one to the other sadly. " I will probably never return to Tree Gap…" She paused to wipe her tears with the back of her sleeve, and then sighed loudly, and smiled through a fresh onslaught of tears.  "But inside I am content, because I know that we'll be together. After years of thinking about it, I know that is the life I wish to live."

Her father sat down, deep in thought. Winnie hoped that she had at least reached him on some common ground. Her mother was another story though…

"If you go, you will live to regret it." She said softly.

Winnie shook her head, smiling despite herself. "Oh mother… If I can guarantee you anything, it's that I will live…" then she took a deep breath, and said with as much reassurance as she could gather. " But, I will never regret it."


	6. Escape

**TUCK EVERLASTING**

**Spring of Choice**

            *The same disclaimers apply-  Thank you to everyone who R+R'd, it helps keep me writing! This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I wanted to appease all of you who've been waiting with so much enthusiasm**.  (**ah-hem HAA ah-hem)  I apologize that I haven't been very good at updating lately, with Halloween approaching I was suddenly taken with the insane notion to make Winnie's white dress from the movie, so I've been working on that in my spare time. I don't care if I don't finish it in time, I just want that beautiful dress dammit! I'll use any excuse to make it. ^^ I like to sew… it's a ridiculously expensive but waaaay too fun hobby of mine. (sorry you didn't need to hear that, but I feel like sharing)

Chapter 6- Escape

            Winnie spent the remaining few days avoiding her parents as much as possible.  Her mother made that easy, since she was bent on ignoring her.  They had both sat for a long time in deep thought after she had made her departure known.  She wondered what in the world they could have been thinking…

            "_Or plotting_…" she thought glumly. She was currently in her room, immersed with the challenge of deciding what to bring when she went to live with Jesse.

            " _Lots of warm clothes probably_…" she mused.  " _It's worse to be too cold than too hot…but then again… if I only have warm clothes in the summer, I can't exactly walk around naked to cool off_!" She shrugged and settled for her medium-weight, autumn corset-cover and two other of her favorite dresses, one for warm weather, and another for cold. "_Shoes are easy_." She dropped in her most comfortable pair of black leather boots, and several pairs of stockings and underwear. She knew she was probably packing too soon, it was still one more day until her rendezvous with Jesse, but now that her parents knew, she wouldn't be surprised if they might cook some scheme to keep her at home on her important night. She may have to leave early and live in the woods for a night.

            "_Not that I haven't done it before_." She told herself, trying to summon courage. "_However…"_ She glanced out her window.  The clouds on the horizon were very dark, and they were inching ever closer to Tree Gap. "_It looks like it will storm pretty soon. I don't think I'd like to try living out there alone in the rain…_ " 

            Just as she buckled her small suitcase closed, she heard the first few drops of the impending storm splatter on the roof. 

            Suddenly, her mothers voice carried up from downstairs.  "Winifred!"

            Winnie's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, her mother had not said a single word to her in three days. And now she was calling for her?

            "_I wonder what it could be_?" She thought as she slid the suitcase under her bed and left her room. She smoothed the fabric of her skirt as she descended the staircase.  Winnie was wearing her recent favorite outfit, a high-collared white blouse with ruffles at the shoulders and half sleeves that ended in lace trim, a blue sash, and a narrow skirt of white silk with pale blue flowers decorating the length of it.

            She saw her mother at the base of the stairs in traveling coat and hat. " Yes, mother?"

            "Winnie, I want you to come into town with us." Her mother was holding Winnie's hat in one hand and a closed umbrella in the other. She was tight lipped and looked very pale, but her eyes were wide and alert.  "I have some business at the seamstress, and your father just received an urgent letter from a client of his, he needs to get to the post office right away.

            Winnie took her hat and placed it on her head. "Why do I need to come with you?"

            "I just… want you too." Her mother said softly and attempted a smile.  Winnie felt a pang of guilt. This may be the last time she would do anything with her parents.

            "Okay…" She nodded as her mother opened the front door for her.  Her father was already in the car with their driver. The two women walked briskly through the rain under the umbrella, and quickly got in.

            "Hurry, Robert, the post office will close…" 

            Winnie noticed how agitated her mother seemed, and her father seemed to be muttering to himself under his breath and fiddled with an envelope he had held in his hands.

            She glanced from one parent to the next, but kept her mouth shut.  What was going on? Should she ask? It was probably just some trouble with her fathers work, he seldom spoke to her of the subject, but it often made him very stressed out. 

            They entered Tree Gap and stopped at the seamstress first, her mother bought a bolt of brocade for a new skirt, and then the post office. Her father was inside no less than ten minutes before he was back in the car.

            During the excursion, Winnie occupied herself by watching the rain run in little streaks down the windowpane.  She could see paths for raindrops developing through the pearling water on the window, they created lots of little avenues for the individual drops to travel and she tried to guess the path that the next drop would take.  She was so enveloped with this game, that she failed to notice that her father was not taking them back to Tree Gap after he'd returned to the car.  She snapped to attention when the car hit an unfamiliar bump in the road. And suddenly she realized that they were almost out of the woods that outlined the town, and heading in the opposite direction of her home.

            "Where are we going?" She asked hastily.

            Winnie's father tensed, but it was her mother that spoke.  " Your aunt Marjorie has been begging for us to come and visit her at the ocean for the last few months. I finally took her up on her offer. I thought that a nice holiday would be just the thing for you.  Away from the wood and the house and all the usual—"

            "MOTHER!" Winnie turned to her shocked. "You… how DARE you decide this without even asking me!"  
            "Winnie!" Her mother looked at her in pained shock. "I was only thinking of your health! I am convinced that being cooped up in that house for so long, with that same boring scenery has addled your mind! Your father feels the same way."

            "Take me back! I want to go back home!" She felt panic rising in her, adrenaline began to rush through her veins and she began thinking very fast. "_They want to take me away from Jesse, so I will miss my meeting with him! They want me to go far away and never see him again_!"

            " We are only thinking of your well-fare." Her father said with forced calm.

            " You will not run off with some ruffian whom you hardly know!" Her mother said matter-of-factly. "It is simply out of the question!"

            " Has nothing I've said gotten through to you!?" Winnie clenched her fists with supressed rage.  " You think that you can bend me? Make me dance like a puppet to your own tunes? I'm my OWN person!"

            She looked at her mother through teary eyes, her mother watched her tensely with horrific fascination, as if looking at a viper that was about to strike.   Not one ounce of compassion could be found, and so Winnie's anger exploded. "I'll make my OWN choices!" 

            She grabbed the car door handle, and before her mother even had time to cry out, Winnie launched herself out of the car.

            The first thing she felt when she hit the ground besides the sudden impact of flinging herself from a vehicle that was driving at roughly 40 mph. Was the slimy mud of the wet dirt road. The second thing she felt as she slid into a grassy ditch just off the side, was a searing pain in her right forearm.  

            No time for it now. She braced her arm against her body, grimacing as she staggered to her knees.  Her head snapped up as she heard the brakes on the car. She knew her father would be out at any moment and with the help of their driver, would come to reclaim her.  She had to get away! She had to find Jesse…

It was amazing what adrenaline could do when used under such circumstances. She was on her feet before the car had come to a complete stop. Without glancing back she ran towards the awaiting woods.


	7. Down by the River

**TUCK EVERLASTING**

**Spring of Choice**

            *The same disclaimers apply-  Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it and I hope that everyone had a happy Halloween! I finished the Winnie costume. =) I'm very happy with how it turned out! So now I'm back to try to get this thing finished.

Chapter 7- Down by the River

            It couldn't have been more than a minute that she'd been running before her hair was already plastered to her cheeks and water dripped down her nose and ran in rivulets down the back of her neck soaking her dress through to her skin.  A whistling wind picked up as she ran blindly into the forest.  She had never entered from this direction, and had no idea where she was going.  All she could do now was run.  She would run and hide, and she would never allow them to find her. She knew that it was hopeless to try and convince her parents, they had even gone as far as lying to her to keep her away from Jesse. She tried to shake off the feeling of betrayal she felt, after all, wasn't she doing the same to them? Turning her back on them? She had no right to criticize after what she was about to do.  But still, at least she had been honest and told them the truth of her intentions. They did not have to lie to her!  How could they have betrayed her trust like that?!  It occurred to Winnie that maybe she did not know her parents as well as she thought she did.  That, or she had never pushed them to their limits, where sheer desperation would be their only course of action.  

            "If they really loved me, they would let me go!" She repeated this phrase in her head several times, stumbling over fallen logs and slopping through the mud, not caring if the mud splashed up on her dress, it was already filthy and torn from when she'd jumped from the car.  Her forearm ached with a fierce pulsating rhythm, and she clutched it to her body, supporting it with her good arm. 

            Suddenly the sky lit up with lightning, almost immediately followed by a great clap of thunder. Winnie's heart leapt into her throat, her foot caught a tree root and she fell down in a shower of mud and water droplets.  

            "Ahhhh…" Her arm hurt so badly, the pulsating magnified.  Biting back tears, she sat up and wiped her hair back from her face, trying to blink through the great drops of water that were settled on her long eyelashes.  There was a roaring noise not far in the distance. It was rushing water.

            "The river!" She thought with renewed hope. If she could only make it to the river, then she would know where she was! She knew where the Tucks old cabin was in relationship to it.  If she could hide out there until tomorrow night, and then go with Jesse then everything would be okay.

            This brief moment of relief was shattered by another sound from the distance, in the opposite direction of the rushing water. 

            "Winnie!" 

            It was her father's voice. Not long after the voice of their driver carried to her ears as well, they were both pursuing her.  

            She got to her feet shakily, and made her way swiftly towards the sound of the water.  After she crossed the river, she would be home free! 

            But this fantasy did not last long.  Winnie pushed her way through some high bushes and stopped abruptly at the foot of the bank.  Her eyes widened in shock.  The river… that tiny little stream that she had splashed along holding Jesse's hand all those summers ago… it was a raging, angry, storm of a flooded river now.  She remembered the high banks that they had climbed down to get to the water at the bottom.  If she tried to cross it now she would certainly drown. And this time there would be no Jesse Tuck to buoy her.

            Her thoughts were interrupted again by the sound of her father, this time he was closer. "Winifred!!"

            She looked about frantically for some sign of a way across, lightning ripped apart the dark sky and thunder echoed through the valleys that cradled the forest.  She stumbled along the bank a ways up stream, and then saw what she had been seeking.  A thin pine had fallen and its narrow trunk breached the gap from one bank to the other.  

            "Winifred!"

            The voice was closer.  Winnie did not stop to consider the consequences, but she climbed up onto the log and on hands and knees started to shimmie her way across. 

            "Don't look down…" She told herself.  "Just look at the far bank."

            The far bank grew slowly closer and the river rushed barely two feet below her.  A sudden gust of wind made her nearly loose her balance, but she held onto the log with both hands, clutching the rough bark in terror.  The pain in her arm was barely noticeable compared to the adrenaline that rushed through her veins and the roaring that was in her ears.   She heard her father again, this time he was too close! 

            "Winifred! Stop right there!"

            He saw her! Winnie froze where she was, about three quarters across the stretch of river.  

            "Winnie! I'll come to get you, stay where you are!"

            She glanced over her shoulder, her father was downstream, running as best he could through the mud that clung to his shoes. Their driver was on his heels calling, "Ms. Foster! Ms. Foster!"  Her father's face was pale and filled with desperation. She felt a pang of guilt.  Then slowly shook her head, she'd made her decision. 

            Turning back to her goal at hand, she lifted her hand up and edged her way along one more foot.  Then everything suddenly turned to chaos.  The best thing that Winnie could take in with such short notice, was a brilliant flash of white, a piercing crack that rendered her suddenly deaf, then sparks and flames and she was falling.  She hit the water and it was like ice, enveloping her instantly in a cold grip of impending death.  

            There were no sounds under the water, and she wondered for a moment whether or not she should try and swim.  But then her brain registered her lungs need for air and she began to thrash about, her arms and legs kicking frantically but she did not seem to be going up.  She was caught in a vicious current and she thought idly that she was being swept downstream.  Her skirts weighed her down and no matter how she kicked she could not get any leverage towards the surface.  

She wanted to breath! She wanted it so badly that panic seized her, she let out one last tremendous burst of strength before giving into the waters that had claimed her as their victim.

"So…" The thought floated through her mind. "This is how I will die…"

But, suddenly out of the dark, murky water she saw a hand reaching towards her.  Not caring if it was God or the Devil's, she reached out and seized it, the hand materialized to a body, and another arm wrapped around her small waist, she felt herself being hoisted up towards the surface.  

It seemed that precious second before her head hit fresh air would be her last.  Winnies lungs were bursting for air.  She thought as she was being rescued that if she had only drunk the stupid water the first time, she would not have a need to be in fear of her life now.  But that was as far as her thoughts would take her.  The moment her face felt the cool rush of air as she cleared the surface, she gasped for breath, breathing in deeply and hungrily.

"Winnie! Are you okay!?"

It took her a moment to register, but she realized that the body that had saved her, that had swam her up to the surface… and was now keeping her afloat as they were carried in a raging current downstream… was none other than Jesse Tuck.

Shock made way for fear soon after this revelation.  The water was cold, her body felt heavy and wouldn't move, she had almost died and now they probably both would, being carried downstream to who knows where, to be dashed against sharp rocks or drowned! She wrapped her arms around Jesse's shoulders. "Jesse!" In all her distress, she had forgotten he was immortal.

"It's okay! I'm here, nothing's going to happen to you! I promise it." Jesse reassured her, his voice shouting over the rushing of the water and the sudden clap of thunder. "Don't be scared! I won't let your head go under."

He was trying to swim them both towards the shore.  But the current was too strong, and with Winnie in one arm he was not strong enough to get them both close enough. 

_"Dammit_…" thought Jesse hurriedly. " _If I don't get her out of the water soon, she may freeze to death, or we'll go over the waterfall_…"

Just as this thought had occurred to him, he heard it.  The pounding of water as it cascaded over the rocks and fell into the canyon below.  It fell into the same pool of water, with that little waterfall that he'd coerced Winnie to jump into that one magical summer two years ago.  But now he imagined it was a much larger waterfall, and that small pool of water could easily drown her in a second… if they got separated.

"Hold onto me Winnie!" He said, tightening his grip around her torso.  His left arm was locked tightly around her chest, keeping her head and shoulders above the water.  "Hold onto me and whatever happens don't let go. We're going over the waterfall."

"We're what?" Winnie cried frantically.  "I can't swim! I'll die! Jesse I'm going to die!"

"You won't die! I'll protect you!" Jesse said it with as much optimism as he could muster. It was hard even for him to make light of the situation, because in truth he was scared out of his mind that his Winnie would die… What he wouldn't give right now for a drop of that water to put in her mouth and save her life.

"Hold your breath! We're going over!"

"Ahhhh!!!"  Winnies scream echoed through the small canyon as they both plunged over the edge, the rushing river carrying them over and dropping them both into the swirling pool below.

Jesse's iron grip on Winnie did not lessen. He didn't flinch as they hit the surface.  He was not the one in fear of drowning.  But he was fearful for her. He allowed them both to sink below the surface, being pounded down by the water above for a few seconds, then he got his bearings and with a few powerful thrusts of his legs, took them both out from under the falling water and broke the surface a few feet away.  The current was pulling him back towards the waterfall, but he would not give into it.  Winnie was not moving. In fact, she had gone completely limp in his arms. He would not think the worst yet. Best to get her out of the water first.

            Once he was well away from the falling water the pool they were in was much calmer, with no currents carrying them further downstream.  He made it to the bank where his feet finally touched ground, and hoisted Winnie up on the edge of it.  Then he himself got out of the water.  He barely had the time to turn her on her back before she began coughing and sputtering up water.  He patted her on the back and helped her sit up and she coughed.

            She was shivering violently.  It was still raining pretty hard, and the wind was whistling through the trees, punctuated by bursts of lightning and claps of thunder.  A single look told Jesse he had better make her warm quickly.  Without a word he picked her up and carried her as fast as he could manage towards their old Cottage in the wood.


End file.
